


Either Sink or Swim

by DeiLove



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Character Death, Liam says so, Lydia Martin & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, Peter broke out of Eichen House, Scott is a terrible Alpha, Stalia break-up, Stiles has power, good guy Peter Hale, they trust Peter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-04
Updated: 2015-10-04
Packaged: 2018-04-24 19:13:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4931926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeiLove/pseuds/DeiLove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After s5e5, Stiles starts avoiding his 'pack'. Lydia, though, doesn't let him be alone, she keeps him company and becomes the only person Stiles talks to, well, apart from his father. Then Eichen House happens, and Stiles brakes up with Malia, but he can't feel relieved for long as the Dread Doctors come for him along with someone who claimed to be an ally.</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>Or the one where Stiles gets kidnapped by the Doctors, Derek comes back to Beacon Hills, and they discover that Stiles has power.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Either Sink or Swim

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. Thanks to my friend vki for beta'ing this! The remaining mistakes are all mine (and there might be some strange expressions as we both are Hungarian - please, let me know, if you find any!)
> 
> 2\. Title comes from Miyavi's Let Go. Great song, I recommand listening to it.
> 
> 3\. Scott is a terrible Alpha and a terrible friend here, if you like him on the show, you probably won't like this. Peter, on the other hand, is a good ally for once.
> 
> 4\. I might write a sequel to this (depends on s5B), so it has a cliffhanger (sort of, but you can see this as a whole story), and because of my plans for the sequel, there is a possible pre-Sterek at the end but you can also see it as them finally having become friends.

_He was running._

_His shoeless feet hurt as he stepped on sharp rocks, branches lashed against his face every now and then and he could feel something warm guttering down his face, his arms and even his legs. It was dark and he couldn’t see what it was but it smelled like blood. He didn’t know whether it was his or someone else’s either._

_He immediately felt nauseous but kept running, even though he had no idea what he was running from. He just knew he had to seek shelter where he could wait till dawn, till the sun came up._

_He tripped over a root but got up as soon as his palms touched the ground, and continued to run. He didn’t know where he was – well, in the Preserve, obviously, but the Preserve was enormous, and seemed Babylonian in the middle of the night. He wished he had the eyesight of a werewolf or at least heightened senses so that he could follow some scents and sounds to a safe place but he was only human. A human that was weak and hurt, bleeding and getting more and more tired with every passing second._

_When a light breeze reached him, he trembled, noticing for the first time that he was only wearing a thin T-shirt and trousers, both of them having more holes than actual material. He knew that Californian weather was supposed to be warm – hot, even – but the nights were always cold, and this particular one was even chillier than most of them. He just hoped to find a shelter that would keep him from freezing to death._

_He found a clearing several minutes later and wanted to avoid it and go back into the woods when he saw the trunk. He realized he knew where he was and walked to the trunk, looking for the stairs leading underneath it._

_As soon as he got comfortable leaning against the Nemeton’s roots he checked his pockets for his cell but they were empty except for some bloody tissues. He then checked himself, searching for wounds that would explain all the blood on his skin but there were only a few bruises and one deeper cut on his shoulder. Realizing that all that blood couldn’t possibly be his, he wondered who or what he had attacked – or worse, killed this time._

_But as he was about to start panicking he heard a howl and someone calling his name. And that voice was familiar._

*

Stiles felt dizzy. He didn’t feel well, he was tired and he found it unusually difficult to concentrate on _anything_. He had taken his medicines but they didn’t help. Probably going back to school hadn’t been a good idea, after all.

It was his free period that he usually spent with his pack but today he chose to try to get some rest on the backseat of his Jeep. It wasn’t comfortable at all, but he needed the comfort the familiar place gave him. It was bearable as long as he was alone. And he was alone, for now.

He pulled his hoodie tighter around himself when he heard someone knocking on the window. He sighed but sat up and opened the door. “What?”

“Stiles, are you okay?” Lydia asked in a concerned voice. “You haven’t been yourself since Eichen House.”

“I’m just tired,” the boy responded. “I’m worried about this whole ‘Dread Doctors’-thing.”

“Stiles, I might not be a werewolf and I might not have super-hearing, but I can tell when you lie to me. What’s wrong?”

Stiles sighed again, but he answered this time, “I don’t know, Lydia. It’s like everyone and everything around me is... mightier than me. I feel like I’m drowning, sometimes. I just-” he stopped, not knowing how to express what he felt.

Lydia shoved him back on the seat and climbed in, closing the door and sitting down next to him. “Stiles, what happened? You skipped a day because you felt under the weather, then you were acting weird at Eichen House, now you’re spending your free period in your car. First I thought that the Eichen House-thing was because of what had happened there but now I suspect it was something else. You seemed pretty much taken aback when Dr. Valack asked you what you had seen in the other cell.”

Stiles buried his face in his hands then took a deep breath. He mumbled something unintelligible.

“Stiles, I cannot hear you.”

“I saw Donovan,” Stiles repeated in a broken voice.

“Donovan? The kid who applied to the sheriff’s station but got rejected because he was a psycho? The kid who threatened your father?” Lydia sounded a bit surprised as Donovan had disappeared a few days prior and they hadn’t heard of him since.

“He attacked me the other night,” Stiles confessed but didn’t continue.

“What? Why haven’t you said anything?”

“I... I tried to. But then Scott- He wouldn’t listen.” His voice broke and he rubbed his face with his left hand.

“You could have told me,” Lydia said, voice gentle but firm. “You know that you can trust me.”

“I killed him.” It was barely audible but Stiles knew Lydia heard it.

“Stiles, it’s... What happened? How?”

“I was at the school, my Jeep wouldn’t start... I tried to fix it, but then I felt this... thing on my shoulder; teeth, I guess. When I turned I saw Donovan, his eyes were shining with madness, and his hand was on my shoulder, biting the flesh.” He shifted a bit and let Lydia see the scars on his neck.

“Oh my-,” she brought her hand to cover her mouth. “How did you manage to get away?”

“I ran into the school. There was this... scaffolding in the library, I climbed on it but he grabbed my leg... I pulled this out,” he showed Lydia the metal tool he was playing with. “The scaffolding almost collapsed; one of the beams staked him.” Stiles was practically sobbing by this point, but he still had a last part to tell. “I called 911, they sent a deputy to check it out but the body was gone. I was listening to the transceiver and I heard him say that nobody was there. When I went back to make sure of it, the mess was gone as well as the body but I found some blood on the scaffolding, so it did happen. I’m not crazy, it really happened.”

Lydia didn’t say anything, she just hugged him tightly. “I’m glad you’re okay. I don’t care that that freak is dead, what matters is that you’re alive,” she whispered.

“Thank you,” Stiles whispered back then pulled away to wipe his nose. “You’re the best.”

“Of course I’m the best,” she smiled. “Also, now that our parents are dating, it’s my duty to look after you, idiot.”

“You would do that anyways, now wouldn’t you?”

“Not the point,” she rolled her eyes fondly. “Come on, free period’s almost over.”

He followed her back to the school and even though he still didn’t feel too well, the small smile on his face was finally an honest one.

*

Next morning, he woke up to the beeping of his phone. He grunted but reached for the cell, almost dropping it when he saw the text he had just received. He didn’t recognize the number but he knew who had sent it as soon as he read the first few words. The message read, ‘ _This is Derek, I got your number from Lydia. She says you need someone to talk to about something. She didn’t tell me anything specific. Call me any time. Also, be careful with all those creatures out there_.’

He saved the number with an embarrassed grimace on his face, deciding that he should talk to Lydia about privacy. He considered calling her right away, but he knew he wasn’t awake enough to have that conversation. He put on a T-shirt and some trousers instead, thanking heaven it was finally weekend and he didn’t have to meet anyone except for his father.

Being hungry, he went downstairs to make some breakfast. He didn’t feel like cooking so he ate some cereal while reading Dr. Valack’s The Dread Doctors – well, the copy that he had on his phone. He already managed to read half of it and wanted to finish it before anything crazy happened.

He took the milk out of the fridge to pour a glass but was interrupted by a knock on the front door. He barely put the milk on the counter when Malia rushed into the kitchen. She hardly paid any attention to Stiles, beginning to rant instead.

“What are you doing? We were supposed to meet an hour ago at Scott’s!” When Stiles only blinked in response, she went on, “We agreed to watch those films with the others. I told you yesterday to get up early. Haven’t you listened?”

“What are you talking about, Malia?” Stiles asked, taken aback.

“Yesterday. Free period. Scott offered to hold a film-marathon at his place.” Malia seemed really pissed off which made Stiles simmer with anger.

“I haven’t even been there with you during free period,” he stated in an icy tone.

“Of course you’ve been there! Where else would you have been? You’re just being an asshole, having totally forgotten today’s program, right?” Malia was angry with _him_ , and it made Stiles’ rage erupt.

“This is it,” he said, voice low but tight. “I’m not doing it anymore. You, Scott, Kira... None of you care. Well, let me tell you that some of us are still only human! You might deal with the situation easily, just the way you heal, but I can’t do that!” he shouted the last part. “Get out of my house, and get out of my life! If you all get to be selfish all the time, I’m gonna be selfish just this once. I. Don’t. Want. You. In. My. Life,” he emphasized.

“You’re an asshole,” Malia deadpanned. “And I am breaking up with _you_ , not the other way around.”

“As long as you get the hell out of here, I can’t bring myself to care,” Stiles said, clinging to the counter behind his back, lips pressed together tightly. Malia looked like she wanted to add something but bolted out of the house the next moment.

Stiles just stared at the kitchen table for a few minutes before remembering the milk still by his hand. He sighed and took a gulp, not bothering with the glass. He put the milk away then grabbed his phone and went back to his room.

There wasn’t anything in there that would remind him of Malia, as he had gotten rid of everything that had been hers when he had first noticed her interest towards Theo. He had been preparing himself to dump her ever since, and getting rid of those bric-à-bracs had been the first step. He had assumed it would be hard but he didn’t feel anything but relief now. He had thought he would be upset, angry, but nothing. It was like he stopped having any kind of feelings towards Malia.

He unlocked his phone as he sat down on his bed, wondering if that – the lack of feelings – made him a bad person. He shook his head, taking a mental note to ask Lydia about it later, then went back to his book.

He hardly read five pages when he heard the cracking of the window. He tensed immediately. Only three people used the window as an entrance, but as Derek was away from Beacon Hills, Scott was home, and he had just broken up with Malia, he had no idea who was trying to get into his room.

He went to the contacts on his phone, better safe than sorry, and reached for his baseball bat. The window slowly opened, revealing a blurring mask. Stiles inhaled a bit harshly and jumped as his door slid open. He blinked and all three of the Doctors were in front of him. He knew he didn’t stand a chance against them so he dropped the bat and hit call on his phone screen.

“Stiles?” The call was answered on the first ring.

“They are here! The Doctors are here! I don’t know what they want but I think they’re gonna take me,” he yelled but then the phone was on the floor and he was facing Theo’s evil grin.

“Calling for help, Stiles? You should know better than that. There’s nobody out there who would come and rescue you,” he said, his grin growing even wider.

“I knew we couldn’t trust you, Theo,” Stiles spoke, probably louder than necessary but he needed the man on the other end of the line to hear everything.

“Oh, come on. Your only problem is that you got dumped because Malia likes me more.”

“I don’t care about her,” he snapped. “Listen to my heartbeat if you don’t believe me.” He tried to get to his phone but Theo easily shoved him back.

“I’m pretty sure it’s already dead. Don’t expect anyone to come to your help. Who did you call, anyways? Not Malia, that’s for sure. Was it Scott? Or Lydia? Maybe that druid?”

“No.”

“But you called someone. Was it daddy?”

“Why are you doing this?” Stiles asked, ignoring Theo’s questions.

“Because I _can_ do this,” he smirked and turned to face the Doctors. “Take him to the lab.”

Stiles didn’t wait for them to move; he jumped up and grabbed his phone. Thankfully, it hadn’t died when it had fallen to the floor and the call hadn’t ended either. Stiles brought it to his ear. “Derek? You still there?”

“I’m coming back,” he promised, voice tight with concern. “Just hold on, Stiles.”

Stiles tried to answer to that but the Doctors got him, injecting something into his neck. He dropped the phone as energy leaked out of his limbs, then collapsed and everything went black.

*

The next few hours – or days? He didn’t know – were a mix of unconsciousness and pain. Whenever he woke up, the Doctors were around. He tried to observe the ‘lab’ but the pain was always unbearable and he only managed to take in the sight of the small, seemingly unborn creatures.

The first time he wasn’t sent back to unconsciousness after a few minutes was when Theo came to visit him. The Doctors stepped back to stand next to the walls and stayed there during the whole conversation.

“You know, I thought you’d be dead by now,” Theo said with a smirk. “The Doctors spent two entire days working on you, and you still are self-aware. Most of their subjects gave up on that within the first few hours of experimentation.”

“Well, it’s not the first occasion someone’s trying to get into my head,” Stiles tried to shrug but the bonds didn’t let him move.

“I know. Probably that’s why your so-called friends aren’t worried about your disappearance. And because Malia told them she had dumped you. I mean, it’s only Monday evening, and skipping one day is more than acceptable after a break-up.”

“They know you kidnapped me.” Stiles coughed and felt some blood on his lips.

“You called one person. One person that’s not even in the state. And I can promise you that as soon as he comes near Beacon Hills, the Doctors will take care of him,” he grinned.

The evilness shining in his eyes made Stiles quiver and he felt anger bubbling up in him. It was like the rage he had felt when he had told Malia to get out of the house, just many times as bad. It reminded him of those days when the Nogitsune had still been possessing him, when all he had wanted to do was to destroy and create chaos. The only difference was that he could control it now and managed to use it to get out of the bonds.

“Oh, really? You still want to try?” Theo stepped closer, waving to the Doctors not to move. “Too bad you’re already ours.”

“I don’t belong to anyone,” Stiles shouted then grabbed one of the Doctors’ tools and sent it into the Geneticist’s throat. The Geneticist rattled and fell to the ground, slowly dying there. The other two, the Surgeon and the Pathologist took a few steps toward Stiles but didn’t attack.

“Did you just kill the Geneticist?” Theo asked, voice ringing with disbelief. Then his features changed as he shifted. “I think we need to kill you now.” He hardly finished the sentence and he attacked Stiles with his claws and fangs. Stiles tried to hide behind one of those incubators but as he touched it the glass burst.

“What the...?” he mumbled as he fell upon another incubator. They kept blowing up as he touched them and the glass bruised him everywhere, piercing through his already ruined clothes.

“Stop! Stop, you idiot! You’re destroying everything!” Theo yelled. “Damn it, find him! Move, you useless-” Theo stopped when a piece of glass flew into his left eye, blinding him. He cried out and jumped toward Stiles, one claw going through flesh. Stiles punched him hard in the stomach in return, sending Theo in the middle of the mess on the floor. “Get him!” the werewolf yelled, making an attempt to stand up but collapsing nevertheless.

Stiles didn’t wait, he ran to the door where Theo had come in the lab, not even wincing when he stepped on pieces of broken glass. The Surgeon appeared in front of him but he was prepared, holding a sharp piece of glass in his hand. He stabbed the Surgeon with it right in the heart then threw another piece toward the Pathologist as he kept running.

*

_But as he was about to start panicking he heard a howl and someone calling his name. And that voice was familiar._

The werewolf threw the door open, bolting down the stairs and only stopping when he was right in front of the shivering boy. He then took off his leather jacket, enwrapping Stiles in it.

“Look at me,” he said, worried. “You’re gonna be okay now.”

Stiles sobbed as he let Derek hug him then lift him up. He clung to the older man, fatigue finally taking over his body. He closed his eyes, tension draining out of his limbs, knowing that he was safe now.

Derek carried him to his car, laid him down on the backseat, sat behind the steering wheel and headed to Deaton’s. He called Lydia on their way to the vet, telling her that he had found Stiles and to meet them at the animal clinic.

The Banshee was already waiting for them in the parking lot, hair a total mess, her clothes wrinkled, indicating that she had just thrown them on when Derek had hung up on her.

“Where did you find him?” she asked, voice trembling.

“In the Preserve. You told me where to look.” Derek helped Stiles get out of the car then picked him up once again, carrying him inside. Deaton let them in, motioning for Derek to lay Stiles down on one of the tables. The druid examined the boy while Derek told him everything he knew – which wasn’t much – but it seemed to be enough for Deaton.

“Okay, he does have a few bruises, nothing serious though. If it really had been the Doctors that took him, I’d say they didn’t get to do anything. However,” he began but stopped, checking something on Stiles’ wrists, then moving to his ankles. “Now this is odd. Look at the skin here and here,” he pointed to Stiles’ wrists and ankles. “I’d say he was bound to something but somehow managed to get free, if I only saw his left arm and right leg. But there are no suggillations on the other wrist and ankle to prove that theory. In fact, the suggillations he does have seem to be quite old,” he said, knitting his eyebrows.

“What does that mean?” Derek asked, stepping closer to Stiles.

“I’m not sure. He was taken two days ago, right?” he looked at Derek who nodded. “Then he got bound either before that, or his skin healed somehow. That would explain the lack of wounds.”

“So you’re suggesting he’s a chimera now?” Lydia asked, sounding doubtful.

“That’s possible, but I think it might be something else. Mythology says humans can have the power of a kitsune only if it possesses them, but I think in certain cases part of the fox’ power stays with the human, even after that the spirit left the body.”

“You mean, the Nogitsune’s power is still with Stiles?”

“Not all of it, but yes. That’s my best guess.”

“How do we test it?” Lydia asked, still a bit doubtful but interested.

“First, we wait for him to wake up. Then we’ll see how much he remembers. That might help us figure out what’s going on. Go home, get some sleep, I’ll let you know if anything happens,” Deaton offered.

“No way I’m leaving,” Lydia stated and Derek nodded in agreement.

“It’s a school night, Lydia. You can’t stay here all day.”

“Of course I can. I don’t need to go to school, I could have easily graduated last year,” she claimed with her hands on her hips. “Stiles is my brother and he needs me, which means you cannot make me go anywhere.”

“If you really insist, then help clean him up,” Deaton sighed. “There’s dried blood all over his skin.”

Derek lifted the boy’s body and Lydia took the leather jacket and the T-shirt off, laying them down on one of the stools. She then grabbed a wet cloth and started wiping he blood off of Stiles’ arms and chest. They were careful not to wake the boy so they tried not to move him too much. After Stiles’ skin was mostly clean, they covered him with a blanket then sat down near the table.

They spent the next few hours watching Stiles, making sure that nothing happened to him. Lydia did fall asleep; Derek wrapped a blanket around her then sat back, concentrating on scents and chemosignals the whole time. Deaton left a bit later, closing the front door but leaving the backdoor open.

‘Round six a.m. Derek could smell something different in Stiles’ scent indicating that the boy was about to wake up. The werewolf shook Lydia’s shoulder gently.

“What? Is he awake?” she asked immediately, looking at Stiles.

“He’ll be any second now,” Derek shook his head.

“What’re we doing?”

Derek didn’t even try to argue that Lydia should go to school. “We’re taking him to my loft unless you know a safer place.”

“I don’t. The loft is okay as long as you fixed the windows,” Lydia looked at him with a raised eyebrow and Derek nodded. Then they waited for Stiles to wake up in silence.

Stiles noticed the cold surface he was lying on first, then realized that he wasn’t really wearing clothes except for his shredded trousers. His head was aching and pulsating but he didn’t feel anything else: neither his wounded feet nor the marks left behind by the bonds. He was tired but aside from that he felt totally okay.

“How do you feel?” came the question from his left. He turned his head and saw both Lydia and Derek standing two steps away.

“Okay, I guess,” he answered in a rough voice.

“How much do you remember?” Derek asked, his usual poker-face broken, his features showing relief and worry.

“I remember calling you when the Doctors and Theo showed up in my room. I think they drugged me... I can’t recall much of what happened after that, I just remember you calling my name while I was hiding under the Nemeton.”

“But you don’t know what they did to you,” Derek stated. Stiles nodded, sitting up.

“Did you just say the Doctors and _Theo_?” Lydia squeaked.

“He was with them,” Stiles confirmed. “He kind of gave them orders.”

“That doesn’t sound good,” Lydia raised an eyebrow.

“I know,” Stiles sighed. “I really need my memories back. Can you help with that?” he asked Derek.

“I’m not sure. I still haven’t done that and I’d rather not start with you. Or anyone that I trust,” he added, shaking his head. “But that can wait. Let’s get out of here and tell your dad that you’re fine.”

He helped Stiles stand up, gave him his leather jacket to wear, then let Stiles lean against him as they walked out to the car. Lydia followed them to the loft, still not caring about school.

Stiles used Derek’s phone to call his father on their way to the werewolf’s place. The sheriff sounded worried even though Derek had called him immediately after having promised to come back to Beacon Hills and had updated him after finding Stiles out in the woods. Stiles told him everything he remembered and convinced him that staying at Derek’s was the best option they had. The sheriff promised to visit them after his shift but had to hang up because a deputy needed him.

Arriving to the loft, Derek could tell something was off but he thought it was because he had spent the previous six month or so away. He helped Stiles get out of the car and go upstairs, supporting him all the way to the metal door of his loft. Sliding the door open, it became obvious that something had changed since the last time they’d been here. There was a strange scent lingering all over the place and it took Derek a moment to recognize it. When he did, though, he let go of Stiles’ arm and stepped in front of the two teenagers, baring his teeth as the person the scent belonged to appeared at the top of the spiral staircase, smirking down at them.

“Oh, my dear nephew. I wasn’t aware of you being back in town,” he mocked. “Well, how would I even know that, right? I mean, I’m supposed to be locked up at Eichen House,” he went on, descending the stairs and stopping in the middle of the room. “As you can sense, I was bold enough to claim the loft after I escaped from that asylum.” He studied them for a minute, and then added, “Something happened, right? Something worse than just the Doctors doing crazy things to random teenagers.”

They didn’t answer first, Derek frozen in place in front of a shocked Stiles but then Lydia took a few steps into the loft, towards Peter.

“Why are you here?” she asked. “You always run and hide instead of being in the middle of the mess. What has changed?”

“There’s no mess here,” he stated the obvious. “The Doctors wouldn’t dare come here.”

“You still haven’t answered the question,” Derek spoke. “What do you want here?”

“I thought _you_ wanted something from _me_ ,” he smirked, eyes flashing blue for a moment. “I am still pissed that you let them lock me up but I’m more pissed at the Doctors right now. If I can help get rid of them, I am willing to do everything, even working with McCall and his pack.”

“I’m not sure if this is a good idea,” Lydia observed.

“This might be our only option. _He_ might be our only option,” Stiles stated from behind Derek.

“What about Scott? He is a powerful Alpha, after all.”

“I don’t want him in my head,” Stiles almost growled. “Not after the last few days.”

“Stiles, if it’s about Donovan, I’m sure he would-”

“Can we just get over with it already? I need my memories back _now_ ,” Stiles stepped around Derek, moving to the couch and sitting down on it. Peter shot a questioning look at Derek, who just nodded in defeat, and followed the boy, standing behind him, the claws of his right hand on display. “Just do it,” Stiles told Peter, and the older sank his claws into the flesh of his neck.

It was a blur of pictures at first, then it started to make sense. He saw the Doctors taking him, saw Theo’s evil grin as the boy watched him, then the shock on his face when one of the Doctors – the Geneticist, he could almost hear Theo say that name – collapsed. He saw his own arm harm – kill, maybe? – the other two as well as Theo, throwing pieces of broken glass in their general direction.

It ended as suddenly as it had started, Peter withdrawing his claws and clinging to the back of the couch. Stiles watched his hands, his nails, then scratched his neck. His neck that was totally flawless.

“What the hell?” he shifted, checking the wound Donovan had left on his shoulder. It was gone too, just like the cut Theo had left on his other shoulder.

“What is it, Stiles?” Lydia sat down next to him, resting a reassuring hand on his upper arm.

“He killed at least one of them,” Peter said disbelievingly. “Possibly two. And he probably blinded that kid, Theo, or whatever his name is.”

“That’s great, right?” Lydia asked, looking from Stiles to Peter.

“Not if they decide to come after him,” Peter shook his head. “And I have no idea where he got that power from.”

“Me neither,” Stiles added in a small voice.

“Deaton had a theory about that,” Derek noted, telling Stiles and Peter about the Nogitsune’s power.

“So you say that their presence brought it to the surface?” Peter asked. Derek nodded. “It is possible, however unlikely, if you want my opinion. The question is, though; how are they gonna respond to what happened?”

“They’re going to try to get revenge,” Stiles stated. “Theo seemed furious when I escaped.”

Peter nodded, “What are we gonna do, then?”

“I don’t care about you,” Lydia started, “but we’re staying here with Derek. As you said earlier, the loft is a safe place for now.”

They agreed on that, Derek keeping an eye on Stiles while Peter told them everything he knew about inheriting Kitsune-power and then tried to help Lydia discover the benefits of being a Banshee, letting Stiles get some sleep.

*

It was the following Monday when Stiles finally felt strong enough to go back to school. He really had no idea how he was still allowed to skip entire weeks after the Nogitsune incident but he suspected it had something to do with his dad being the sheriff. People tended to look at him differently because of his dad, and since his mother’s death they’d been extraordinarily understanding – well, except for Harris, who had been a jerk before being sacrificed by a crazy darach.

Stiles had spent the night at the loft along with Lydia, as it had seemed a bit safer than going home, despite everything that had happened there. Well, there was a great security system working not to mention the two former Alphas looking after them or Lydia having discovered the real power of a Banshee. Stiles hadn’t been comfortable using the Nogitsune’s tricks but he had had his baseball bat so their defence had been as good as it could get. The sheriff had driven by before his night shift and Parrish had checked upon them around midnight but they hadn’t found anything unusual.

The school, though, it was a different story. Stiles didn’t feel safe going back, not with Theo being there. Also, he didn’t want to face Scott and the others, at least not at school where he couldn’t hide from them.

Derek took them to school, promising that he would stay close and keep an eye on everything. It made Stiles feel a bit calmer while Lydia’s hand on his upper arm helped grounding him.

“If something’s wrong, just call my name,” Derek told them. They nodded and the werewolf left the parking to hide his car in the woods.

“Come on,” said Lydia gently, leading the way to the school’s entrance. “Kira is with her dad, Malia is at her locker, the others haven’t arrived yet. And I can feel Peter at the lacrosse field,” she added with a slight frown on her face.

They both paid attention to their surroundings, needing the comfort the knowledge that Derek and Peter were looking after them gave them. They managed to avoid Scott, Kira and Malia till lunch, and it seemed that Theo took a day off – or, according to Liam, he was at home due to sickness. “He hasn’t been to school since last Monday,” he told them when they met him on the corridor. Stiles and Lydia exchanged a worried look but didn’t say anything except for a short ‘thank you’ before leaving for their next class.

When lunch break came, they decided to go to the stand at the lacrosse field as they knew Derek had joined Peter there. What they didn’t foresee, though, was that someone else would choose to go there during lunch break too. They barely sat down when they both sensed the presence of Scott, Kira and Malia. Stiles tensed while Lydia just scowled, quickly sending a text to Derek and Peter to tell them to stay where they were.

As soon as Scott noticed them, he stopped, confusion and anger showing on his face. “Where the hell have you been?” he yelled at them, running to them. Kira and Malia followed him.

“What are we doing here, Scott?” Malia asked, visibly bored. Scott ignored her, looking straight at Stiles.

“I asked, where have you been? You didn’t answer your phone, you weren’t at home, even your dad wouldn’t tell me where you were!”

“Don’t pretend you care,” Stiles said in an icy tone. He didn’t want to deal with this, not when the Doctors and Theo were most probably still hunting for him.

“I’m not pretending! Malia broke up with you and you disappeared for a whole week, of course I was worried. I still am,” Scott shouted.

“If you had been paying attention at all, you would have known that I didn’t care about that break-up. If anything, I was relieved,” he said, not caring that Malia heard his confession.

“I would have known if you had talked to me!”

“Lydia somehow knew without me saying a word,” he twisted the figurative sword.

“Stiles...” Scott trailed off, a sad expression taking over his features. “That’s why you didn’t tell me about Donovan?” he frowned.

Stiles paled, his eyes widening in shock. “How do you know about Donovan? Who told you?”

“Theo. He said he’d been there with you,” Scott explained, not looking at Stiles, who now stood in front of him.

“Theo?! And you believed him?” he cried out, hitting Scott’s chest with his fist. “What did he say?” he demanded, seemingly afraid of the answer but not really minding it. He knew Theo must have told Scott some terrible lie, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care – not after having recalled everything that had happened to them since the very day Scott had been bitten. He knew it wasn’t fair of him thinking that way but he couldn’t not see how Scott was responsible for a lot of those bad things. Also, it wasn’t the first time Scott gave others preference over him – he couldn’t even remember the last time he was more important to the True Alpha than anyone else. Truth to be told, he didn’t expect it to change as Scott wasn’t the most important person for him anymore either, but it still hurt that Scott would just give up their friendship.

“Don’t give me that look,” Scott almost begged. “When Theo told me what had happened, I didn’t want to believe it, but then you didn’t come to school and what was I supposed to think? Other than that you were hiding from me because of what you’d done to Donovan?” he sounded desperate, trying to understand Stiles’ potential reasons to lie to him. When Stiles didn’t say anything, he continued, “You killed him because he had threatened your father? Is that it? You smashed his skull because of what he had said, even though you knew we weren’t killing those that we were trying to protect?” Scott seemed puzzled, his eyes wide, hands fisting his shirt. Kira brought her hand to rest on Scott’s shoulder, trying to anchor him.

“Smashed his skull, you say? Too bad he got stabbed in the chest,” Stiles answered sarcastically. “And you know what? I’m not gonna apologize for accidentally killing a chimera that had threatened to kill my father but then came after me. I’m not gonna apologize for defending myself when a crazy non-supernatural wendigo was trying to eat my legs,” he stated, looking Scott in the eye. “Call me a murderer if you want to, believe Theo everything he tells you, I don’t care, but don’t expect me to save your ungrateful ass when Theo decides you’re next on the Doctors’ list.” He pushed Scott out of his way, heading for the woods at the other side of the lacrosse field.

“Stiles,” Scott shouted after him, “what the hell happened? Why are you mad at _me_ of all people? And why would you say things like that about Theo? He’s a good guy!”

“He’s not,” Stiles said, narrowing his eyes. “And say just one good reason I shouldn’t be mad at you,” he challenged, turning his back on Scott when the Alpha only gaped at him like a fish.

“You really need to pull yourself together,” Lydia told Scott as she followed Stiles, because in this situation even Peter was better company than their so-called friends.

*

They didn’t talk to Scott, Kira or Malia for the next few days and they stayed out of trouble, not caring to deal with chimeras. Liam and Mason told them everything that they knew about the subjects of the Doctors, but it seemed that there weren’t any new ones, and the ones they did know about – Hayden and Corey – were in total control of themselves. Liam complained a lot about Scott, even calling him a terrible Alpha once, so Stiles and Lydia decided to take him under their wings, always keeping an eye on him and Hayden.

Theo was still claiming to be ill, although no-one knew where he really was, he just left messages and texts on Scott’s cell every now and then – at least that was Liam’s answer when Stiles asked him about the boy. He also told them that Deaton was out of town to check something but they were aware of that as the vet had mentioned it to Derek the day before he had left.

They spent most of their free time at the loft, Parrish and the sheriff joining them whenever they weren’t working. Peter and Stiles – with the occasional help of Derek – rummaged through Peter’s books and files to figure out what Parrish really was while the deputy taught Lydia the basics of self-defence. Stiles even helped Derek make dinner one afternoon when he was too tired to comprehend century-old texts.

It was Friday when they finally found the right article.

The sheriff and Parrish were both at the station and Peter had gone to meet Deaton, who had just arrived back from his trip, to see what he had found. Derek was thumbing one of the books they hadn’t finished yet, Stiles was glancing through another article on his laptop – he had added all of Peter’s articles to his own electronic library – and Lydia was reading an old book she had borrowed from the school library.

“Boys, I think I found something,” she said after about an hour of silence.

“About Parrish?” Stiles asked, rubbing his eyes. “What are you even reading?”

“Welsh mythology,” she stated as it was obvious. “I originally borrowed it to find some useful information on Banshees.”

“Banshees come from Irish and Scottish mythology, don’t they?” Stiles asked tiredly.

“They do, but Welsh mythology talks about them too, and I have already read everything I could find about Irish and Scottish folklore.”

“What did you find?” Derek interrupted, closing the book in his hands.

“You remember that Kira mentioned something called the Wild Hunt at senior scribe?” she looked at Stiles, who nodded. “Well, listen to this, then: ‘Woden’s Hunt, also known as the Wild Ride or Wild Hunt. A myth of devilish riders in the sky accompanied by black dogs, spectral beasts whose eyes glowed with fire... A Bearer of Death and Guardian of the Supernatural, the black dog is also known by its more common name, the Hellhound’,” she read out. When Derek and Stiles didn’t say anything, she explained, “He told me he had dreams in which he brought bodies to the Nemeton. He even recognized one or two, all of them chimeras. I think he protects the supernatural world by stealing the bodies and hiding them out in the Preserve.”

“Parrish is the one stealing the bodies?” Stiles exclaimed.

“I think so,” Lydia agreed. “We went to the Preserve the other day and when he wasn’t concentrating on it, he could easily find the Nemeton. All the dead chimeras were there, covered in soot.”

Derek stood up and started looking for a book on the shelf while Stiles started a search for the word ‘hellhound’.

“Really? Can’t you maybe trust me? Trust the Banshee?” Lydia rolled her eyes.

“We’re just trying to pull up everything we can find to make sure there’s no twist to the story,” Stiles answered and Derek nodded. Lydia sighed and joined Derek at the shelf, taking down every other book to flip through. They spent the next few hours researching hellhounds to know everything about them by the time Parrish came over after his shift, because they agreed that they had to tell him what they had found.

*

The weekend went by quite quickly. They spent it at the loft, Lydia training with Parrish, Peter offering a suggestion every now and then, and Stiles and Derek researching and making food. Deaton came by at one point to let them know what he had found out about the Doctors and that he had run into the Desert Wolf. That made them wonder why Braeden hadn’t contacted them but given the fact that she hadn’t talked to Derek – or any of them, for the record – since the former Alpha had broken up with her, it wasn’t too surprising.

When Monday came, it greeted them as a shaken down team. Even Peter’s presence became a strange constant and they all grew to appreciate his knowledge and wits. He had changed a lot since Mexico, and Stiles and Lydia suspected he had also gotten his memories back while he had been at Eichen House. He never talked about it though – never mentioned neither those memories nor Eichen House and Dr. Valack –, he just acted differently than before.

After breakfast with the Hales, they took the Jeep to school, Derek following them through the woods in his wolf form. The former Alpha took his usual place at the lacrosse field, waiting for his uncle to show up while Stiles and Lydia entered the school. They stayed out of the others’ way, sitting at the back of the classrooms, avoiding conversations if possible. Lunch break, though, didn’t pass that smoothly.

It all started with Liam and Mason who were waiting for them at their lockers, having some bad news to tell. “I know you don’t talk to Scott but you need to hear this,” Liam stated without greeting the two seniors. “Braeden is back in Beacon Hills and she told Malia that so was the Desert Wolf,” he explained, expression serious. “She didn’t say anything about Derek, though, wouldn’t answer our questions.”

“I wonder why,” Stiles mumbled sarcastically but didn’t elaborate. Liam and Mason might have been good kids but it didn’t mean he would tell them that Derek was back. “What about Theo? Do you know anything? And the Doctors?” he asked instead.

“Nothing,” Liam shook his head. “Even Scott hasn’t heard from him for the last few days. He thinks he was sent to the hospital, but I don’t see how that could be true. He’s a werewolf after all. He cannot get sick.” The others nodded and he went on, “No-one has met the Doctors since Theo’s disappearance, and there weren’t any new chimeras either. I don’t know if it’s good or worrying,” he frowned.

“Thanks,” Lydia gave him a small smile. “Sorry for holding you up again, go join Hayden,” she waved and the sophomores nodded and left. “I don’t like that Braeden is here,” she told Stiles as they headed for the lacrosse field.

“I have a feeling there’s more to that story than Derek lets slip,” he scowled, rubbing his eyes. “But right now, we should focus on the remaining Doctor or Doctors and Theo. Everything is too silent, like a big storm is coming.” He sighed, plopping down on the bench. Lydia took the seat next to him. They ate in silence for a couple of minutes when they heard someone shouting their names, followed by the clattering and blurring of the Doctors. They stood up, mentally preparing for a fight, looking around to find the attackers.

“Stiles! Lydia!” came the shouts from behind them, and now they recognized it was Scott’s voice calling out to them. “There’s a fire alarm, everyone is supposed to leave school,” he yelled, not picking up on the presence of the Doctors.

“Then leave!” Stiles said, not bothering to look him in the eye. He and Lydia moved to the middle of the field, still scanning their surroundings.

“What are you doing?” Scott demanded, stepping closer.

“You’re disturbing,” Lydia stated. “Either shut up or leave,” she advised but then spotted something flying towards them. “Stiles!” she screamed and the boy looked up just in time to see the body starting to fall. He concentrated on slowing the crash and the body touched the ground with a small thump.

The man coughed then stood up facing the woods, arms held up in front of him in a defensive way. “Thanks,” he told Stiles without glancing at him.

“What the hell happened?” Stiles asked, pulling at his hair. “We felt the Doctors,” he added.

“Well, it’s just one of them with that kid, Theo Reaken. He claims the other two are dead.”

“Okay, slow down,” Scott interrupted, “and tell me what is going on. Dude, I didn’t even know you’d come back!” he told Derek but they ignored him, keeping their eyes on the woods where they soon saw Theo and the last Doctor emerging from the shadows. Stiles immediately recognized the Doctor – it was the Pathologist, who he didn’t manage to actually harm back at the lab.

“Look at that!” Theo grinned evilly. “The Banshee, the Void and the former Alpha. You make quite the team.” He shifted, standing next to the Pathologist, obviously ready to attack. “Too bad we’ll have to kill you all,” he said through fangs. “It wasn’t the original plan, you know,” he added absent-mindedly. “I intended to convince both of you to join my pack,” he looked at Stiles then Lydia. “Because I did come here for a pack. I just didn’t want to join one; I wanted to create my own. I wanted the Banshee, the girl surrounded by death. I wanted the void, the creature seeking chaos. I wanted the coyote, the one whose first instinct is to kill. I wanted the Dark Kitsune, the Messenger of Death. I wanted the Beta with anger issues and the two former Alphas, the two killers. But you, Stiles, you ruined everything. You were too suspicious of me, and when I tried to change that you killed the Geneticist and the Surgeon. You almost killed the Pathologist and you blinded me. I can only see because there’s a lens implanted in my left eye,” he shouted angrily. “I even lied about Donovan but you outpaced me, you told the truth everyone you wanted to.” Theo sounded furious, like he would explode any moment.

Before anyone could move, though, there was a loud noise and a big, beast-like creature smashed against the Pathologist, clawing and biting at the Doctor’s clothes. “No! Let go!” Theo yelled hysterically, but then Derek shifted and jumped at him, snarling and growling the whole time. “Help Peter, I’ve got Derek,” Stiles told Lydia, and they both walked closer cautiously, letting their powers flow freely.

The Pathologist used the Surgeon’s stick to fight Peter back but it didn’t work as Lydia made sure he didn’t get wounded. The Doctor tried escaping but Lydia trapped him, not letting him use the advantages the different frequencies gave him. Then Peter stepped back and the Banshee pinned their attacker to the ground of the lacrosse field.

“I can’t hold him for long,” Lydia warned. Peter growled in response, sneaking closer to the scientist and snapping his throat with his teeth. The Pathologist rattled, the stick falling out of his hand as he died. The werewolf looked at Lydia for a moment then took off for the woods, leaving Lydia watching her brother and the younger Hale fight with Theo.

Stiles stood just a few steps behind Derek, willing the ground to disappear from underneath Theo. He tried not to flail with his arms but knew he would anyway; Derek’s chuckling voice ringing in his ears as he remembered the other day when he had been training with Lydia and Parrish, and Derek had walked in the loft just to see him trip over his own legs. The former Alpha had said, “You are not Aang from Avatar, stop sawing the air.” He had gasped at the man at that and hadn’t stopped mocking him since. Derek had started calling him Aang – and sometimes Sokka – in return, but they had also started watching films and series together since that occasion, which was a nice change in their lives.

“Peter, get the chains from the bag,” Derek yelled at his uncle when he ran away from the body of the Pathologist. Theo took advantage of the opportunity and aimed for Derek’s neck with his claws but Stiles threw a small but sharp rock to his right eye, blinding it. Theo cried out in pain, swearing loudly. Derek used his lapse of attention and knocked him over, breaking the younger’s shins during the process. Stiles manipulated the roots and the plants near them, making them bind the other boy.

Peter came back in his human form, a large bag hanging from his shoulder. He held it out for Derek and his nephew used the chains and the different kinds of poisons to bind and narcotize Theo. “What now?” Stiles asked.

“We’ll let the Hellhound take the body to the Nemeton,” Peter explained, “and we’ll lock him up at Eichen House,” he motioned at Theo. “Of course that won’t be me as they would take me back to my cell,” he gave Derek a pointed look. The younger Hale just rolled his eyes.

“Time out!” Scott shouted not understanding what was happening around him. “Explain,” he stared at Stiles, willing him to answer but Stiles ignored him. “What is your problem?” he yelled, wolfing out.

“I told you to pull your shit together,” Lydia stood in front of him, hands on her hips, brows drawn together. “You didn’t, now deal with the consequences.” She turned her back on him, walking back to where Peter was throwing the dead Doctor on his shoulder. “I’ll call Jordan,” she told him, pulling out her cell phone. “Stiles, Derek, take Theo to the loft and call the sheriff and Deaton. We’ll meet you there,” she motioned to Peter, who nodded in agreement.

“Peter,” Derek called out, “stay with her. We don’t know where Braeden and the Desert Wolf are or what they want.”

“I know,” Peter said with a grimace, glancing at the Banshee standing by his side. “Let’s go.” They left without another word, heading for the parking lot where – apparently – Peter had parked the Cruiser.

“We should go too,” Derek told Stiles, manhandling the unconscious Theo, then looked at Scott, “If you want answers and care to listen to us, come by the loft early evening. Don’t bring anyone with you.” Stiles picked up the bag and closed it then collected his and Lydia’s belongings that they had left on the bench. When he got everything, he looked at Derek and they started walking towards the Jeep.

*

They spent the following days explaining this and that to Scott’s pack. They didn’t let them join them at the loft just any time but they did have meetings on one or two occasions, right after school which was attended by Liam, Mason, Scott and Kira but never Malia. Scott still acted like the idiot he was, refusing to apologize for his earlier behaviour, no matter how hard Kira tried to talk some sense into him. Liam introduced Hayden to all of them, only to have Lydia steal her away for a half hour to chat about ‘female things’. Malia tried to sweeten her way back to Stiles saying that she had been wrong but the boy turned her down. Peter acted coldly whenever he had to talk to his daughter, obviously remembering something he didn’t say a word about. Stiles kept spending the nights his dad worked at the loft, helping Derek with the chores and cooking dinner every other evening. Lydia spent a lot of time with Parrish, finally going on a first date with the deputy. The sheriff, Stiles and Lydia told Natalie everything about the supernatural – well, everything she needed to know - and even though she freaked out, she didn’t say no when the sheriff asked her out for dinner.

On Friday, the setting sun found Stiles at the loft with Lydia, Parrish and Derek. Peter had left just minutes ago to take care of something important while the sheriff had the night shift which kept him from showing for dinner. The others were home as Stiles, Derek and even Lydia didn’t really trust them after everything that had happened. They had explained most things to Scott but not Malia or Kira, not wanting to deal with them just yet. Derek still hadn’t said much about Braeden – well, apart from that he had broken up with her – and they had no clue about her whereabouts. And then there was the problem of the Desert Wolf, who had most likely come to town while they’d been preoccupied with Theo and the Doctors. Even though they had asked Satomi and her pack to be careful and alert, there were no trails left behind by the assassin.

Lydia sat with her boyfriend on the couch and they were murmuring to each other something that Stiles didn’t hear from his spot in the kitchen. He had already tried asking Derek to tell him about the conversation but the werewolf just shook his head mouthing the word ‘privacy’ and kept washing the dishes. When Stiles didn’t stop fidgeting, he sighed, “What?”

Stiles looked up at the werewolf, feeling a blush creep its way to his cheeks. “Sorry,” he said sheepishly. “What’s gonna happen now? I mean, with Braeden and the Desert Wolf and all.”

Derek raised an eyebrow at the boy, putting down the still smeary glass and stepping away from the sink. “I don’t know.” His tone made Stiles jerk his head up, staring at the former Alpha with wide eyes. “We need to focus on ourselves for now, to gather enough power to protect ourselves and Beacon Hills, and that’s quite impossible when we don’t really talk to each other.”

“So you’re basically saying that we’re waiting?” Stiles asked, bouncing his knee.

“Yes, Stiles, we’re waiting,” Derek answered with a pointed look which reminded Stiles of the one Derek had given him before punching his hand about a year ago. “And we’re training to accept each other despite all the conflicts and misunderstandings.”

“Fine,” Stiles let out a loud breath, rubbing his eyes. “But I’m gonna go crazy if I have nothing to do, so tell me what you want for dinner. I’m cooking,” he grinned. It had become their routine, whenever Stiles stayed the night, they would have dinner and then breakfast together in the small kitchen of the loft, sharing old stories and discussing films and the episodes of the series they both watched.

“I thought it was my turn,” Derek raised his other eyebrow but let his lips curl into a small smile.

“Well, I want to cook, so,” he shrugged. Derek shook his head but told Stiles what to make then started talking about his time in South America, when he had visited Cora.

Stiles listened to him closely, asking a question here and there. He felt safe and at peace, glad that they all were okay and confident that they would survive everything that would come to them if they stuck together. And he was really thankful that he had finally found his pack, his _family_ , even though it consisted of people he never had expected to become so important parts of his life.

He smiled happily as he started a dispute about countries that were worth visiting.


End file.
